My Heartbeat

i just love this book so much u have to read it to understand

I come down on the side of squeamish when a story veers into fourteen-year-old girls having sex. Many fourteen-year-old girls, of course, will think it's nifty that an author can limn exactly what's going on in their minds: the confusion, divided loyalties, the extreme hotness of a sixteen-year-old Johnny Depp look-alike with his melting brown eyes and square jaw who is gay but could be persuaded (is it hot in here or is it just me?) The trouble with this wonderfully perceptive book is that it's possibly over the heads of its intended audience. The public library labeled it JF, but I think it's YA or even adult. Not because of the subject matter (the girl in question senses her brother and his best friend are gay) but because the dialogue and observations attain a level of sophistication difficult for the young to fully grasp. Conversations between parents and children reach new heights in hidden meanings, double entendres, and acute self-knowledge, even though the brother is described as not knowing what he is or what he wants (he's gay, but is unwilling to own it). It could be that elite Manhattan parents leave their young teenagers to fend for themselves with pockets full of twenties and lax curfews. I found the freedom of these characters easy to swallow - if they were twenty instead of the high school freshmen and juniors they were. And these were parents who supposedly cared very much about their children. Regardless of these reservations, My Heartbeat is a realistic, excellently written, engaging story with living characters. The inner workings of Ellen's mind are right on. The description of Link and James' relationship fits friendships one has observed in life. Especially enjoyable were the discussions about literature and foreign films, and about finding one's own voice. Come to think of it, I would have loved this book had I read it at fourteen. But I was an unusual child.

Even though this book was not what I had expected, I still enjoyed reading it. I took it out from my local library after I had read Garret Freymann-Weyr's WHEN I WAS OLDER. Like WHEN I WAS OLDER this book had characters that were memorable and real. I thought the sex scene was unecessary even though it didn't get as bad as it could've gotten. All in all I still would recommend this book.

This is a wonderful book, and I recommend it to those who are 13 and up. You can really connect with Ellen,the writing style is simple and easy to read, but the issues discussed are deep. Ellen's search for answers to her brother's behavior, lead her to a deeper understanding of herself. The question of homosexuality and how many people treat is as wrong even though it's no longer a crime, or even a sin, is explored with deep understanding and care, and Ellen comes to see how many unwritten social laws are still followed. The ideas are expressed gently, you don't get bashed over the head with the right or wrong answers. You are given opinions and left to figure them out youself. This is book for people who enjoy thinking about what they read, a second reading helps see finer points, as does every reading after. Ellen's relationships with her father, mother, brother, and boyfriend are astonishing in there depth and connection to the real world. Her attitude towards sex is real, though I still think she should have been a little older. No matter what, this book is real, and nothing you read seems impossible. That's what makes it special, its reality, and its clarity, the feeling that this is true, even though its fiction.

I found this book refreshingly openminded, The characters sincere and understandable if a bit unusual.A quick easy read, It manages to conclude without a fairytale ending, and still be more than satisfying. A book I could not put down, Ellen's struggles to understand the realities around her and her blossoming romance with James are both realistic and fascinating to read. A great novel.

Let me first say that there are two things I didn't like about this book: 1) I think the cover art is strange. It gives a too childish impression to the more sophisticated ideas in the book and 2) I am sorry that the sex scene had to be included. I suppose that is expected of young adult literature these days, but it made a book that I would otherwise have no trouble recommending generally into a book that I would caution more conservative parents about. Please, authors, if one of the characters is still only 14, she and her boyfriend don't need to have sex to resolve the story line. Be creative, think of other choices!Now the part I did like: It is very well written. The characters are appealing and very real, especially, of course, the main characters, but even some of the side characters have unexpected complexity. I also love the activities that Ellen and James did for fun - people watching in cafeterias and airports, concerts where she actually ends up enjoying Strauss, interminable foreign language films. These are just quirky enough to be interesting, but not bizarre. I was a bit surprised at Ellen's sudden interest in and skill at art, which just happened to be what James was interested in - especially since it was suggested by her father, but that was only a minor distraction.Finally, I like the unabashed description of the rest of Ellen's social life - notes home about a lack of social skills and her perplexity at having to discuss trivia as a requirement to get to know people at her new school. It is a good book and well worth the time.